Cut My Wings
by Ixion of Moonlight
Summary: They were brought together unwillingly by the grips of bloodlust, but a hidden enemy from Kaname's past forces Zero to protect the one vampire that sometimes made his life a living hell. KanamexZero
1. Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own the sexiness of Kaname Kuran or Zero Kiryu. I wish I did.

Summary: "Unbutton your shirt, Zero."

A/N: I wanted to try another male/male pairing so here it is. It starts slow, but it will gain interest, hopefully. Review and Enjoy!

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Cut My Wings

By: Ixion of Moonlight

Chapter I: Beginning

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"Unbutton your shirt, Zero. You've been reckless letting it go so long."

"Shut up Kuran." Kaname tugged on his gray strands fiercely, nearly dragging him towards the pureblood. His gaze was piercing red and caused Zero to burn up all along the planes of his body. Angles from his eyes were distorted as Zero caught the stimulating view of pale skin stretching over his enemies' neck. Itching to rest his palm against the flesh (in an odd moment of…closeness), he resisted. _God, what was this aching desire? _Shuddering as Kaname swiftly uncovered his chest with silk fingers, he wanted to struggle. He wanted to pull away, but he was a moth to the flame. That burning flame…

Lips dragged in whispering paths over his chest and pressed at the overly sensitive skin of his abdomen. Gasping, Zero clamped strong hands around Kaname's wrists.

"You don't have to fuckin' seduce me, just let me drink you dry," his voice was huskier than normal, vibrating through the other's chest breathing harshly next to his. Eyes narrowed, they were too far gone but any regret was washed far away as Kaname slid off his own white constraints, fluttering to the cold, cold floor. Mouth dry, heat spread through Zero's spine as the temptation to touch the pureblood's muscular form licked his lips with hesitation. Kaname was still, almost welcoming, gentle red eyes beckoning.

Encompassing the thin frame with his warming body, Zero crushed his arms around a rippling back. Cushioning his face in the cradle of Kaname's naked shoulder, he breathed so deeply he felt as if his lungs would burst. Everything about the pureblood whispered of temptation, and his resistance was fading into the tortured gasps he tried to ignore as he gripped his devious savior and inviting neck tilted to the side. Teeth bared and glittering, he latched onto the strong pulse now fluttering under his lips. Kaname raised his head, brunet locks shifting as his eyes closed.

All his being could feel were two pleasuring, heated lips that caressed every spot that made him want to moan. Biting his tongue, Kaname fought not to notice that Zero was more or less kissing his neck. Shifting his mouth repeatedly, he drew the red liquid that would keep him sane with harsh, grating strokes. Kaname gripped the strands at the nape of Zero's neck and pulled. Releasing, Zero glimpsed something on the cold, stoic face of his enemy. Time stood for a moment, pondering between them before Kaname moved forward, closer and traced the defined muscle of Zero's chest, admiring the slight flexing beneath his palm. His body reveled at the confident touch and something snapped in him with a heady cry.

Kaname jerked his head up at the dark sound, focusing on the male face twisted in pleasure. Long fingers traced Zero's bruised mouth, wanting, wanting. Burying his palm into dark gray strands flickered with sweat; he covered the pliant, stirring lips with his own set.

Zero took and took and Kaname gave, pulling apart to distance them from the fervor that captured their bodies. Breathing heavily, the pureblood whispered words that he swore he would never say,

"I apologize. Good evening Zero. " Kaname pulled back, breath slightly uneven as he disentangled himself from the other boy.

"I'm not a wise man, Kiryu." He stiffened his stature as he took his leave, troubled. Zero listened to the proud footsteps fade and picked up the wrinkled Night Class uniform, draping it across a chair nearby.


	2. Naked Unwise Man, or Men?

_Disclaimer: Love to Vampire Knight, but alas, it is not mine._

_Summary: Zero sure as hell didn't want to be courteous and return the uniform, but all he could do was stare at the sinful form lying there, covered in blue rose petals. Dragging his finger down the side of the handsome, pointed face, he failed to notice the blood red eyes, watching._

_A/N: I am so proud of this chapter so please review! Godsmack was my inspiration while writing this. Enjoy, I know you will._

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Chapter II: Naked Unwise Man, or Men?

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When had he ever shown common courtesy? Especially to a vampire. Not to mention the fact that he was an ex-human, far away from the category of a pureblood. So why in the hell was Kuran showing interest? Why should he even care? Zero scoffed at his thoughts as the sunlight blurred in through the windows passing by. Unusually hot, he sucked in more oxygen in an attempt to battle with the sweat trickling down his frame. _'Damn black Day Class uniform.'_ Truth be known, he would've preferred wearing white if it wasn't symbolic for a bloodsucker at the academy. He just couldn't have his way. Fate hated him; that's what he was beginning to believe from personal experience. Wanting to turn back, he forced himself to keep moving, one step leading into the rest.

_'Suck it up, Kiryu. You're just returning his uniform.'_ Grumbling as he strode calmly through the hallways, his insides were twisting into painful knots. Left, right, another right and the single interruption in the wall looked ominous. Trying to keep breathing, Zero swallowed roughly, hesitating outside Kaname's room. Hand twitching, he pulled on some type of composure with a frown before knocking. No answer. Louder this time, he rapped his knuckles sharply against the strong, ornate carvings on the door. The silence was really starting to piss Zero off. Temper flaring, he growled,

"If you don't care about your uniform, you can ignore me and I'll make sure to purify and burn it, pureblood." Nothing stirred from inside.

"Kuran?"

_'Breathe Zero. Breathe.'_ Reigning in his anger, he ignored any code of privacy he should've followed and let himself in. Shutting the door behind him, the dark blurred around his face before his pupils dilated at the godly image burned so far into his irises; he feared it would haunt him in his dreams.

Kaname Kuran was very much present. Mild sun rays drifted past the heavy, stifling curtains and lit upon perfected skin, tracing the sinews of the still, quietly breathing body. Blue rose petals. They littered the covers and planted kisses on the rising marble of the vampire's back. Brunet locks covered his face in disarray, framing the handsome, pointed curves. Oh God, Zero was dieing, pulling air faster, harsher. Drawn forcibly closer, he could reach out and touch that slumbering inhuman being. Scared of the desire rolling through him, Zero cautiously settled Kuran's uniform over the visible, naked skin that called to him. He had never wanted anything more than to, no, close his eyes, black it out. Red eyes were watching him knowingly. Forcing himself to jerk his head to the side, Zero's gray, pale strands almost matched the pallor of his face.

Kaname rose on his arms, lean muscles balancing his weight as he softly twisted to face the shaking ex-human. Zero's eyes were brilliant and dark as they widened, catching the movement. Passion curled in his veins, demanding as the rose petals fell from Kaname's hair and skin in delicate dives of blue.

Breath catching, crimson eyes flashed at him, dark. Kaname then noticed his uniform running around the circumference of his waist. Raising a delicate eyebrow at Zero, he was charming and enticing at the same instant. Frozen, Zero knew he should run, dart for an escape but those eyes, they brightened wickedly, trapping him. He was staring at naked sin with abandon as Kaname pulled himself nearer to the edge of the bed where his intruder was standing. Arms wrapped around the ex-human's strong neck and gripped his gray strands, pulling him onto the covers. Both of them were kneeling and suddenly tasting their secrets with fiery mouths. Ripping away from the soft mouth of the younger, Kaname whispered raggedly,

"This is why I'm not a wise man." Stunned at the aching cruelty in that devious voice, Zero moved as far away as the space would allow in a heartbeat. All he saw was red, burning hot anger. Feeling it rise to the surface, he let it snap.

"Because you're involved with me? Well, I don't remember giving an offer to save my life, so there's your goddamn uniform!" Kaname blocked his path with a stern body.

"Move, pureblood," hissing past his teeth, all he wanted was to be away from this enemy with captivating eyes.

"A challenge if you wish. Make me." Kaname's voice rumbled, so very male. Zero snapped his chin up, locking eyes. Shadows were drawn to the rolling darkness within the vampire's appealing body. Zero just wanted...to what? Touch the life so very close now? Shaking his head, Zero tried to brush past the blockade. Strong shoulders moved to cover his only escape. Kaname knew he was being stubborn but whatever the hell this was needed to be resolved. Enough was enough.

Rage whirled crazily in Zero's nerves, encompassing his limbs. He couldn't, couldn't take it! The want for that godly frame caused him to reach for the holster of his weapon. Escape. Making no move to stop him, Kaname watched silently, admiring the stretch of white dress shirt covering Zero's lean body. He even allowed for Zero to check the chamber to see if it was loaded. Snapping the safety off, silver gleamed, the barrel of the Bloody Rose pressed between Kaname's eyes, cold and taunting. Curling his finger around the trigger, Zero said nothing. Swallowing with the lump of sandpaper in his mouth, the ex-human crowded his enemy, pushing him back until there was no room behind him. Warning him with a deep-seated glare, Zero jabbed the metal fiercely into the flawless skin, holding him captive. Finally Kaname's silk lips parted,

"Is this what you want? Will this solve your problem Kiryu? You should be more grateful to the one who has given you-," the calm of his voice was harshly interrupted.

"Son of a bitch! Stop rubbing it in my face as if there's anything I could ever do about it! Don't be so arrogant as to think my life dangles on one of your pretty little strings that you have wrapped around your finger!" Eyes wide, insanely large, light purple darkening to black shadow, Zero struggled with the trigger. Cutting through his indecision, Kaname commanded with a fierce bark to his voice,

"Shoot me. Pull the trigger. Do it. Kill your enemy, isn't that what you want?!" After a moment of silence, he snarled,

"Unless the hero suddenly has no conviction and has weakened under pressure?" Kaname blinked and the gun went off, the quiet tink of the excess shell hitting the floor. The pureblood clutched his side, intoxicating, red, flowing life pouring from the burning wound. He had forced him. He asked for it, right? Practically begged for that bullet in his side. Falling heavily, wearily to his knees, Zero buried his face against the bloodied skin of Kaname's stomach.

"Kaname. I-I... Can anything stop this curse? I'm...sorry. I need, damn it, I need this. I need it so bad I can't breathe," Pained, gritting his lengthening fangs, Zero sighed heavily, shoulders beginning to shake. Kaname ran his fingers through his silver strands and gently lead him towards the wound. Unable to resist, Zero muttered,

"Fucker. I hate you." Tongue darting out to sickly, sweetly trace the edges of the tunnel in Kaname's side, the older vampire shuddered, replying,

"I know. Shut up and drink," pleasure that shouldn't have been there lingered in the tones of his deep voice. He sucked in a heady breath as Zero clamped onto the wound, greedy like a leech. A parasite, that's what he was. Or what he felt like with lingering disgust. Blood trickled down Kaname's waist, soaked up by the fabric of his pants that still clung to his lower frame. Trying to catch every last drop, without thinking, Zero trailed his lips lower, nipping at the muscled skin. Tensing, Kaname held back a moan, this was pushing his limit. He could only go so far with a... desirable male wrapping strong hands around his hips, nails digging into the skin. There, he had admitted it to himself. Zero Kiryu was striking. How could he not be when his eyes burned gray with hell? With another sweep of Zero's hot tongue, Kaname dove wanting fingers into the ex-human's strands, lifting him to eye level. Blood dribbled across his lips, taunting the pureblood's restraint.

Breathing dangerously close to that mouth, that tempting, demanding mouth, Kaname carefully leaned in and traced the shell of Kiryu's lips. Both shuddering, fingers gripping powerfully at their remaining attire, tearing the cloth. Suddenly naked from the waist up, Zero shivered, hunger clawing at his insides. Did he really want this? Did he even know what "this" was? Taunting, Kaname drifted to the other side of the space, elegant, his fingers jabbed into the waistband of his dark pants. Before Zero could remember to breathe, the corrupt, immoral, self-indulgent, godly being across from him peeled off the last layers covering his bare skin.

Eyes wide, breath fluttering through parted, bruised lips, Zero feared to blink, maybe he was imagining this? But the arched, rising chest was all too real, even for a dream. He had never seen a divine, living thing in his life, but after swallowing rather thickly, he knew that Kaname Kuran was closer than any other. Moaning in whispered gasps, the younger boy, god, he felt like he was younger now, trembled to the pureblood's side. Without asking permission to touch the marble skin, he lifted shaking fingertips and cupped the harsh cheek of Kaname's face, threading his fingers into the dark locks he found close by. Soft like angel hair, he regretfully dragged his caress down to a pointed chin, starting as Kaname leaned into the warmth. He had never touched a man before like this. Mouth dry, vocal chords unusable, Zero splayed his wide palm against the heavily breathing chest, aroused beyond belief at this point. Layering touches lower, he admired the firm body of his enemy. Wait, he was admiring? No way in hell, but oh yes, the powerful man had muscle and flawless, marble, no pearl skin that glinted every possible lure at him.

Yearning to see the defined slope of the rest of the vampire's frame, Zero circled the man, brushing close, breath trapping deep in his lungs. Before he could catch himself, his fingers followed Kaname's spine and descended dangerously, cupping the curve of his enemies' rear with heated, aching palms. Shaken, Kaname turned to the boy with flashing, desiring, blood-red fervor, just like the rapidly closing injury in his side. Draping his mouth over Kiryu's lips, Kaname pushed him to the edge of the covers and knees buckling, Zero sprawled onto the silk covered mattress. Following, his enemy, didn't this prove they weren't enemies?, his enemy ripped off his remaining cover. Hissing at the arresting sight of the ex-human's nude, pure skin, Kaname straddled strong hips beneath him and overlapped the boy's body with his own, hot, craving. Both groaned at the friction, well-built chests jostling, in, out.

Hesitantly, Kaname tasted the strange tattoo that bound Zero to control his vampiric urges, like this one, he thought ironically. Greatly enjoying the tangy, exotic aftertaste, Kaname moved to nip above Zero's collarbone and before giving it much thought, sunk his fangs into the offered flesh. Jerking in alarm, Zero struggled, trying without success to push the unstoppable pureblood off. Blood bonds, he had heard whispers of them before, did this mean they would be bound...forever, or whatever the hell the bloodsuckers called their existence. Probably had a fancy, unnecessary word for it. Weakening as Kaname drained him, Zero gasped,

"Kuran...the hell do you think you're doing?! Move, we don't want this! Get off, damn it!" Scared now, shaking, Zero did the one thing that put his life in danger, he bit back. Tearing at any skin he could reach, his fangs grew longer as Kaname's red rage overwhelmed him. Sucking faster, long draughts of hot, enticing blood, Kaname nearly roared at the pleasure-pain inflicted by the multiple bites in his shoulder by the ex-human below him. Body not responding to the warning, he grabbed a handful of light, blue roses and scattered them over the wicked, heinous, sinful flesh. Taken over by wrath, Kaname backhanded the pure face, snapping Zero's head back, gripping his taught neck. Struggling for air,

"Stop. Kuran, please." Begging with the last of his oxygen he blacked out, imagining the sound of a snap from his spine, or so he would hope if he ever became conscious. Thrashing his limp body, blinking rapidly, coming to his senses, Kaname was sick, turning pale. Zero was silent, chest barely rising; did he even have a pulse? Glancing over the multiple scratches layering his exposed neck, Kaname lifted the dead weight in his arms, one curling over Zero's back, the other under his legs. Carefully treading to his bathroom, flicking on the light, he supported his enemies' body into the aged chair in the corner, grateful that some interior decorator had thought to have it there. Although now it would be spotted with blood, Kaname wasted no time and wet a washcloth, dabbing at the ugly, fierce wounds.

Guilt-ridden, he also wiped over the planes of Zero's chest with gentle, sweeping strokes. Throwing the cloth into the dirty clothes from before and covering it with anything to mask the heady scent of blood, he shut off the light, eyes easily adjusting to the shadowed tile around him. Picking him up again, Kaname glided to the side of his bed and deposited him onto it.

Still naked, he turned away and shifted around for at least something to pull around half of his body. He found a dark robe and opted for that instead of anything constricting, sighing at the sweat dripping from his hair, half drying onto his neck. Sinking wearily next to Zero's feet, even those were desirable; Kaname curled into himself, elbows on his thighs, dragging his sharp fingers through his strands. Unbidden tears rose to his eyes and he snarled at his senselessness. Out of control, his body and mind were swirling to insanity all because of this damned silver haired, enticing, scrap of an ex-human, a mere boy compared to him. Digging sharp claws of hate into his skin, Kaname whispered a mantra to himself. Control returning slowly in increments, he felt deep, eating regret. Skin burning with sin, the pureblood raised his tired body and moved to make some coffee. When Kiryu woke, Kaname would once again be in control, offering him pastries as if nothing had ever happened.


	3. The Breaking Invitation

_Disclaimer: Borrowed with much love. Not my own._

_Summary: Eyes fluttering open from a black abyss, Zero tilted his head to glimpse the irritatingly smug form of Kuran. _

_"Pastry?" Zero thought that eerie smile meant trouble and he probably wasn't far off the mark. Hell, if the pureblood could act nonchalant, as if nothing had happened and he hadn't tried to strangle him, then so could he._

_A/N: Blackened Wing gave me the idea for the soiree, so a big thank you goes to her. One of the lines in this chapter is from Schindler's List. Enjoy and review!_

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Chapter III: The Breaking Invitation

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Eyes blurry from the darkened abyss Zero unexpectedly rose from, he tilted his head dizzily and glaring at the smug form of Kuran, lifted himself heavily to his uncovered feet.

"Pastry?" Zero nearly choked in annoyance, was that a trick question? Apparently being strangled did not change the pureblood's… _optimism. _Holding one of the sweets, palm upward, as if in invitation, the curling grin on Kaname's lips a telltale sign of hell. Crankily,

"You can take your offer and shove it up your ass, for all I care." Shivering, Zero moved his hands as if to pull something around himself. Great. Could it possibly get any worse than this? Maybe he was an optimist too, because he sure as hell wanted everything to smooth over.

Being naked, vulnerable in front of the vampire, especially after the startling rage that followed earlier had him on edge, uneasy, shifting his weight to his right side. Calmly taking small bites of the sugary substance in his fingers, Kaname couldn't control the wavering want to taste the pale skin of Kiryu's body, instead of attempting to enjoy the pure sweet shoved down his throat.

"How about some common courtesy or does the great pureblood actually lack in generosity behind closed doors?" Ignoring the vindictive stab of guilt clutching at his heart, Kaname shifted and stood from his position, an air of detachment lingering on the planes of his face.

"Yes, Kiryu?" Zero groaned, comparing the older man to a walking temptation, sin itself. Brushing closer, achingly close, trying not to trace the firm, barely hidden, slim body with his dark, dark eyes, Zero breathed heavily, swallowing uncomfortably.

"Can I cover myself now?," coughing bluntly in red irritation, heat prickling behind his ears, he couldn't believe he had just parted his lips and come out with it, raising an irritated eyebrow. Teasing,

"Would you like my robe?" Trying not to flutter his eyes closed at the unbidden, impressive image of soft skin and rippling muscle, Zero retorted tartly,

"Yeah, it's as black as my heart, very amusing, pureblood. Step aside." Kaname obeyed mutely, a driving curiosity in watching the ex-human's hurried strides and searching gaze. Gladly accepting the vampire's un-offered attire, Zero quickly thrust his legs in the nearest pair of pants, not being overly picky, buttoned them and just as swiftly slid his arms through a starched, stiff, button up shirt, struggling with the cuffs at the arm.

Glaring at the offered assistance, forgetting to contain the hushed moan building at the back of his throat, Zero could feel the acute pressure of every slim finger Kaname tightened around his wrist. Rigid, whirling passion sapped his strength, the younger man caught his desire by the neck, pulling away fiercely.

Kaname admitted sternly that yes, at this hesitating moment, Zero was compelling, more so when the collar of his shirt dipped to reveal taunting glimpses of his muscled chest and especially because his scent clung to the ex-human's skin, refusing to be rubbed off.

Why should he deny himself from the pleasure that could be had? Mainly because Kiryu was _not _a willing participant, and Kaname found himself pleading guilty to wishing that he actually needed this.

"We are connected by a blood bond, right? So what the hell do you want _me _to do about it? Act like nothing ever happened and you didn't try to strangle me?! Try to persuade myself that the ache in my chest that's eating me alive… if I don't touch you at every passing second is nothing more than a passing fancy?"

Beginning to apologize, Zero cut him off, harshly, eyes glaring,

"It's my life Kuran and if I want to blow it away and waste it, then by God, too _fucking _bad for you!" Anger boiling in the depths of his body, Kaname struggled to contain it but decisively changed his mind, a wicked grin wrapping around his face, twisting the features, demonic shadows playing around his eyes.

"If you sever the blood bond between us, I _will _die Zero. Or go mad." Baring his fangs now, Zero barked,

"Oh, yeah, I am _so _happy that I'm tied to you, pile on more responsibility for the ex-human and then watch him crack! Is that what you want? You want me to believe that this sick, twisted game is for my own benefit? I've always hated you, and now you've given me even more reason!" Bitterly sickened, Zero snarled unpromisingly at his enemy, the demon drawing on his powers of persuasion to move him.

Nature was reacting to the pissed off aura blistering around the older vampire; bleeding red from his eyes, Kaname exposed his glistening, lengthening fangs. Rows and rows of them winked ominously at the darkening gray in Zero's eyes, blood searing inside, neither would stop until the other turned into a mesh of broken bones and tattered skin to be unrecognizable. This was going to be bloody.

Cracking his knuckles with intent, Zero began to grin, there was no reason why he couldn't enjoy this, right? Before he would've jumped at the chance to smash his fist into the pureblood's smug, arrogant, regal, beautiful… _'don't finish that thought.'_

Reaching for Kaname's throat, the older man surprisingly indulgent, waiting, and watching. Powerful, cruel fingers tightened, cutting off Kaname's oxygen, still smiles from Kiryu, demons rolling from his eyes. Scraping jagged nails into the fragile skin, Zero whispered words of looming death, oddly soothing to the pureblood.

"Any last words?" Serious, absorbed, Zero felt like squeezing that firm neck closed forever. Maybe someone could blame him, but he wasn't about to feel regret.

"A man who saves one life, saves the world in time." _'You won't kill me Kiryu, our bond is throbbing at the mere intent.'_

"You're intolerable pureblood, you know that?" Kaname had won, for now. Zero released his hold and the older man gratefully rubbed his bruised skin, wincing imperceptibly.

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Hanabusa Aido strolled in the direction of Kaname's quarters, carrying an invitation for the upcoming soiree for the pureblood himself. Grumbling about being an errand boy, he only agreed to the job because he felt like he owed it to Kaname. So, here he was, knocking respectfully on the door, hearing an "enter" from inside, and stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of one Zero Kiryu.

Why was he wearing the respected pureblood's garments? Did he have permission for that, and even if he did, what the hell was going on? Kaname had a cloth to his neck, dabbing at the closing skin, and Kiryu looked ragged, as if itching for a fight. Suddenly feeling the intense need to leave and never look back, about to excuse himself, the older vampire beckoned Aido further into the hellish aura between the pureblood and the ex-human.

"You have something for me?" Extending a hand for the invitation, it quickly passed from one set of fingers to another.

"Thank you Hanabusa. You may leave when you're comfortable." Was that a small, teasing smile drifting over his face or had the blond imagined that?

"Y-yes Kaname-sama. You're welcome." Glaring at Zero as if to ask why he was so close to the esteemed, treasured, well-known Kaname Kuran, Aido turned on his heel and swiftly closed the door behind him, blocking out the sight of Kiryu shrugging his shoulders in response.

'_Why don't you ask your Master over here and see what lies he has to tell you.'_

Silence settled over the rustling, billowing curtains and silk sheets that Zero had come to despise. They had almost made love on them a few hours before, oh God, he was slipping. Making love? Enemies did _not _make love; it must've been one of those obvious rules that he and Kaname overlooked.

Kaname briefly scanned over the words in his hands. Closing the paper with a flick of his wrist, the vampire braced himself for the inevitable, patience willing. Red eyes reaching for even an ounce of compassion, he found none.

"I want you to come with me to this soiree, Zero."

"As your partner, Kuran?," he scoffed, feeling wrath building in his chest again. Walking a fine line, Kaname tried to appeal to him,

"We don't have to walk arm in arm, if that's what you're wondering. You would attend under the auspices that you are merely observing so the two sides get along. This is hardly a request." Taking offense to the harsh command in the pureblood's rich, demanding words, Zero strode to the only escape.

"I'll make sure to spill coffee on this, so take it as a thank you." Tugging on the end of the crisp shirt, he promptly closed the door behind him.

Kaname seethed in anger for a moment before securing his… feelings for the ex-human deep inside where he could no longer sense anything other than the ache.

The pureblood opted for a strict conformity to covering all traces of his desirable skin for the soiree. Yearning only for Zero's touch, he snarled, unwilling to leave in this state. Breathing heavily, Kaname wearily pulled on his mask, hiding, the one that never failed and tightened the tie around his neck, cutting off his oxygen.

Demons didn't need to breathe, did they?


	4. Hot and Cold

Disclaimer: I am respectfully borrowing without asking Vampire Knight which in no way, shape, or form belongs to me. Matsuri Hino is the owner of the two, very sexy male vampires that I have the immense pleasure of writing about, Kaname Kuran and Zero Kiryu. Taken with much love!

Summary: Firing off five rounds, steam rolling from the barrel, Zero tensed. The bond prickled in warning and he clutched at the burning skin, desperate to soothe the worry that he felt welling up in his heart.

A/N: (blushing) Am I doing alright? Please leave me lots of love and review! _'Thoughts' _look like this, just to let you know. MATURE CONTENT. Did I even need to Caps Lock for that? I know all of you love it so enjoy.

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Chapter IV: Hot and Cold

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Fifteen bullets. One after the other caused a chorus of echoes. Steam rolled from the barrel in a pillar of white. _Click._ Empty.

Release the used magazine, reload and repeat. Excess shells littered the ground by Zero's feet; the consistency of it soothing the turmoil in his dark eyes. Kuran was leaving, and he wasn't obliged to care, right? But… something lurked in the back of his mind, whispering that maybe the pureblood could be in danger without realizing it.

_'He's a big boy and he can handle it all by himself.'_ He didn't want to go and besides, if the older vampire couldn't protect his _own _ass; Zero would just be a sheep to the slaughter. Unwilling to let go of his stubborn opinion, the ex-human fired off five more rounds before a twinge from Kaname's bite mark froze his finger around the trigger.

What the hell was that?

The bond. Worry flooded Kiryu's body uneasily, why now? Piecing it together swiftly, he groaned heavily. Oh god, no… he had been hopeful that the connection between them died prematurely out of failing circumstances like the glaringly obvious one, they were _males_. Men that were enemies did not show physical… attraction to each other, and the kissing, did anything good come out of that? Other than digging his own grave, although the older vampire did have a wicked tongue… Blushing, Zero focused on the original matter of distaste. Supposedly such a thing wasn't unusual in the vampiric world; two males drinking from each other but did it _have _to lead to a lustful relationship? Did they even have a relationship? _'No.' _His neck prickled again and out of fury, he tucked the gun into its usual hiding place by his side.

His aiming was off. Snarling, Zero left with an uneven gait, dare he think jog, to go save the asshole that made his life hell sometimes, why did he have to play the hero?

_"Unless the hero suddenly has no conviction and has weakened under pressure?" _

Kaname's words floated back to him as delighted, burning red eyes and a slight smirk glared in his mind. Even now the pureblood haunted him with his intoxicating presence and pretty, spiteful words.

_'I'm cursed. I had to fall for my enemy. And now I'm concerned? Just fucking peachy.'_

* * *

Shifting the dark, damp strands away from his eyes, Kaname lacked the energy to be startled at the ex-human's sudden appearance, instead seating himself wearily. Pulling the midnight blue robe tighter around himself and ignoring the heated rush at the hurried gaze Zero sent his way, he attempted to be cordial, if not coldly so.

"Yes, Kiryu? I will be departing shortly so any demands on my time must be limited. I have yet to properly dress for the occasion, instead opting to cleanse my skin."

_'Especially from your haunting touch that you deny me…'_

Swallowing uncomfortably, Kaname fought to ignore the deep affection he felt welling inside his chest and replace it with… anything that didn't cause his breathing to grow harsher and his tone seductive.

_'Unless you'd be willing to let me kiss that damnable mouth; I believe arrangements could be made for that.'_

Zero stepped closer than he should've allowed, but worry traced the lines of the ex-human's proud lips and softened Kaname's exterior, the pureblood now shifting his body to face the younger boy appealingly.

Grasping to truly understand what his lips were parting around, he hesitated but continued at the almost hopeful gleam in Kaname's captivating irises.

"I…I think that this soiree is staged, Kuran and nothing good will come of it." Kaname hardly dared to believe that hidden in those simple syllables was an undercurrent of concern but it was far, far too late.

The world tilted off its axis as Kaname suddenly glided face to face with his… lover?, enemy? The lines were already drawn and dangerously crossed before, and the pureblood's restraint was snapping at the seams.

Thread by thread.

"I believe that shirt is mine Zero. Allow me." Without waiting for permission, heated, greedy fingers found the buttons and tore the offending garment open far enough to glimpse patches of Zero's chest heaving in anticipation. Yes, he yearned for this, fucking _wanted_ Kaname's long fingers on his skin, taunting, pleasing.

Nearly delirious with longing, the older vampire ripped the shirt away from Zero's frame; his taut, muscled, shaking body like a drug, _so _addicting. Pressing his cheek into the silk skin covering the younger man's heart, Kaname murmured appreciatively at his stuttering pulse.

"I know I can be forgiven for my lateness, if only they could see the distraction willingly placed before me," moaning whispered words of need, the pureblood nipped at Zero's abdomen, relishing the faint ripple of his muscles beneath his sinful lips.

"The whole damn world could forgive you if they saw you like this. Ah, Kaname," Zero groaned in warning, the vampire's treacherous fingers trailing lower. Charming, alluring, Kaname nipped a path upward to linger near Zero's collarbone. Hot breath puffing over the tender flesh; he caressed the bite mark lovingly with his mouth.

Fangs lengthening, giving in to temptation, Kaname sunk them against the yielding warmth and reveled in the growl from the ex-human. Shivering at the blood coating his tongue, Kuran pulled away fiercely before he lost all control and covered the younger man's body with his own…

Staring into Zero's darkening eyes, Kaname dared to ask a question he normally would have avoided. He blamed the passion curling in his veins like a virus for his bluntness.

"Do you trust me?"

"Hell no."

"Good. Close your eyes." Zero did so cautiously, wary of the enticing smirk on the pureblood's face and wasn't surprised in the least when arrogant lips covered his own.

Sliding his tongue along the bottom ridge of Zero's lips, asking for entrance, Kaname smiled, knowing his lover could feel it. Wrapping strong arms around the ex-human's slight frame, he pressed his body closer, wanting to take the younger man into himself if at all possible. Responding in kind, Zero dragged his fingers through Kuran's drying strands, moaning at their softness and then realized that his "enemy" was naked underneath the plush robe that pushed into his shoulders.

Distractedly, fingers reaching for the sash, Zero firmly tugged it loose and traced his fingertips over heated, flawless, marble skin. Kaname gasped at the decisive caresses, burying his long, shaking fingers in the ex-human's gray strands.

Since when had he become so bold? Since this crazy, aching fervor for his hated enemy had turned into some type of… affair; that's when their world flipped upside down.

"I'm blaming you for making me…yearn for you," Zero whispered over the skin of the intoxicating pureblood, sucking on a pert nipple with ease, as if he had no regrets about this.

"It was irrational of me, I-I know, but your blood called to me, just beneath the thin layer of your skin, ah- Zero!!" A startled cry escaped from his lips as Kiryu gripped his arousal, weighing him in his warm palm.

"Could you shut up? We'll have time for talk… later." By the looks of things in Zero's dark, heated gaze; it would be much later, if ever. Struggling to breathe, barely managing to part his lips, Kaname strained to force out,

"If you really wanted to protect me Zero, it would be… appropriate if you came with me."

He should not have said that, oh god, Kaname knew he should've bit his tongue as Zero stiffened, ceasing to pleasure him. Startled at the wide smirk cast his way, the ex-human didn't look offended at all.

In fact, Zero's eyes glittered dangerously, enjoying the unease reflected from the pureblood's captivating, crimson gaze.

Before it had been hurried and rushed, but now… all Zero wanted was to memorize the glorious, complex angles of muscle arching into his warm palms.

Lovers? Enemies? All the same in love and war, right?

This was definitely _war._

Blood pounding in his ears, feeling immune to the pressing doubts, Zero comfortably slid his body against Kaname's; proud that he could coax such a delightful response from the normally composed pureblood.

Maybe he was out of line for doing this, but Zero heard absolutely no complaints, only the most provoking moans and hushed cries coming from the pureblood. Feeling Kaname's powerful body weakening, he courteously pushed him, violently into a chair.

Shock written all over his face, Kaname couldn't believe this new Zero existed, could he have been a figment of his imagination?

Surely the boy had never had any experience before, so why did he know every pleasurable weakness in his body?

Oh god, not that the pureblood was willing to object as Kiryu settled on his lap; his muscled thighs chaffing his groin and creating an incredible friction that begged for release.

Gripping the thrusting hips below him tightly, Zero buried his face in the pureblood's neck, drinking in the essence that radiated from the godly frame pressing into his. Scraping his fangs across the fading marks he found there, Kaname gasped in his ear, the pure rapture heating him to his core. Growling, Zero bit into the skin of the pureblood's shoulder, nearly sighing at the hot rush of blood pouring down his throat.

Knowing what would drive Kaname over the edge, he shifted his fangs, making the skin highly responsive, and obvious from the way the pureblood shuddered and wrapped his arms around Zero's back.

Pulling away, the ex-human licked his lips and smirked. He was in control. Although the thought of loosing it and thrusting into the hot, tight body below him _did _vaguely cross his mind, Zero liked feeling power over Kaname. He wasn't disturbed about it because he loved the unimaginable rush that came from their 'transgressions.'

In fact, the chances of him getting criminally drunk to wallow in his guilt later was very, _very _high.

But now, right at this moment, the single being requiring his full attention was Kaname, a shaking, perspiring, delirious with want Kaname.

Could it get any better?

Kissing his way to the shell of the pureblood's ear, Zero whispered, voice husky with need,

"Come for me, Kuran."

Kaname cried out, so very close as the ex-human lingered faint touches along the length of his weeping arousal. He was teasing, damn it!

Enjoying the moans vibrating through Kaname's neck, Zero gripped him firmly and started stroking him in time with the pureblood's weak thrusts.

So close…

Silent through all of the older man's cries except for his heavy, staggered breathing, Zero admired the flush on Kaname's skin by licking paths of wet over his collarbones, tracing his strong neck and nipping at his earlobes. He moved from one side to the other and back again before he felt the pureblood's muscles stiffening.

Zero groaned as Kaname screamed his name, back arching, his head thrown back, dark strands wildly strewn about his face. Collapsing, shaking in a mass of aching skin, Kaname could hardly breathe correctly, but he did have enough sense to thank Kiryu.

Their lips brushed softly, Zero sighing into the pureblood's mouth before tearing away. He had to leave before… he did something he might truly regret.

"I'll be waiting for you out front." Leaving the arresting sight of the nude, marble skin that he had just touched with familiarity, Zero turned away before he could ask for the pureblood to take care of his _own_ problem.

He needed a very, very cold shower.

* * *

Fashionably late, Zero gazed out at the passing scenery while settling comfortably into the plush leather of the limousine, admitting that, of course, Kaname could never be without luxury. Or maybe that was just how everyone else preferred it? Could it just be the image he was obliged to uphold?

Everything around him suited his particular style, except for him. To distract himself from the depressing miseries swirling in his spiteful thoughts, Zero trailed his fingers along Kaname's thigh, resting it on the expensive cloth that covered the pureblood's tempting skin.

"Unless you want me to make love to you on cold, hard leather, I suggest you resist your desire for me." Stiff and yet still arrogant, Kaname's lips were turned down into a slight frown as Zero chuckled and pulled his hand away, re-positioning his coat to hold in the most heat, trying not to shiver from the frigid temperatures.

It was deathly cold, but Kaname's thigh had been burning under his palm and Zero resisted a shudder of possessiveness, yearning to touch the pliant body across from him.

Control. He needed control over his rebellious heart, already fearing it was too late.


	5. Red Carpet Revenge

**Disclaimer: **I don't have any sexy vampires okay? If I did, I think I would be happy forever.

**Summary: **They trailed behind the purebloods like dogs and they were just like him. Kaname had a lot of explaining to do about his world and all the sadistic bastards in it.

**A/N: **I am _so _hopeless when it comes to these two, they just write themselves and somehow they end up being complex characters that are unable to keep their hands off of each other. I hope you don't mind! (blushes) Mature themes and Kaname gets his revenge! (evil chuckle) Enjoy and review!

* * *

Chapter V: Red Carpet Revenge

* * *

They couldn't just slither in through the back without attracting any attention, no; Kaname _had _to play by the rules.

_'Suck ups. Act like he's a fucking king and see where it gets you. Just like me…he'll tear you so far down you'll be happy to have him do it to you, as long as it's _him_.'_

"Why don't you wear a crown on that noble brow, your Highness?," Zero hissed, disgusted, already pretending to be ignorant to the existence that was _reluctantly _tied to his. Frowning at the ex-human's immature behavior, Kaname wrapped firm, unrelenting fingers around his arm and jerked him closer, brushing their shoulders together.

"It would be wise to stay close to me," the pureblood hurriedly whispered, his harsh, grating voice too irritating for Zero to obey. He was sick of _this_, all of it, wanting the body near him till he ached, wanting that sweet blood thrumming through those powerful veins, the life that flowed in his own now. He yearned for _things_, sickly desires that were against his humanity, oh right, which he never remembered because he was too accustomed to this damn ritual of sustaining his miserable life to give a fuck. Zero had been human, so beautifully young before fate had crumbled _everything. _Only standing because the strongest of blood kept him barely breathing.

It was all because of _him _and the rage boiled up, burning, choking his reason, even the bitterly true… feelings developing for Kuran could not stop this. Pulling fiercely away, Zero found solace in the darkest corner of the embellished mansion, glaring at the fancy chandeliers and pompous aristocrats surrounding him, swirling in his vision.

Suddenly feeling an emptiness gnawing a gaping hole in his chest, Kaname gathered himself and moved forward, acting as if someone more significant than any other breathing person hadn't just denied him the pleasure of his company. Accepting an offered rose gratefully, the pureblood turned his head, brunet strands shifting, red eyes flashing as the hunter focused in on him, just as he wanted. He always received what he wanted, and one scrap of a boy was _not _going to tear down the perfect façade he had built to cover the weaknesses he wasn't _supposed _to have.

Drinking in the rose's fragrance like a parched man, locking eyes with Kiryu, they both watched, aching, praying for the slender petals to remain ageless, but inevitably, it withered and broke apart, just like them… as frail as a goddamn plant that buried it's roots into the ground to hide away from hardship. Unlike them, they were bound to it with every breath, twisted reflections in each other, as opposite as black and white but instead of clashing they fit together. Two puzzle pieces in a fucked up world.

Zero poured a glass for himself, fighting the smirk before wrapping his lips around it and relished the pure, toxic rage that fluttered through the pureblood's irises. Sighing at the burning liquid flowing down his throat, he drank another and decided that one more for good measure wasn't a half bad idea.

_'Fucker. We're drowning, you see that don't you? You in your pathetic misery and me, well, I'm chained to you so I suppose I'm just… falling, waiting for the end of us, the day you realize I don't belong to you. I _will _succumb to my fate and there's my deathbed, so why are we fighting?'_

Trying not to linger over his raw helplessness, Zero enjoyed his fifth, or maybe it was the sixth?, drink of poisonous substance, a slight hum enveloping his body, hiding him away from all of his problems. This was what he needed. Distraction, a welcome change.

Kaname tried vainly to ignore the ex-human's swaying, inebriated form but after the seemingly billionth couple coming over to pay their respects and ask for his marriage to their daughter, he couldn't take it. Excusing himself, he scanned the moving vampires for a familiar silver-haired, immature…(sighing at his thoughts), his heart rose in anticipation before he squashed it as the lovely ex-human's face flashed before him. But not before Kaname froze as he realized something was very, very wrong. Their bond stung violently at the frayed emotions Zero was emitting, shame being one of the major ones. Guilt quickly ran through the pureblood as time slowed, and for an instant, he regretted bringing Kiryu to this glimpse of his screwed up world.

They trailed after the purebloods like dogs on leashes, and they were just like him. Ex-humans. Zero felt sick, so sick, the alcohol running in his veins wearing him down. He couldn't run, couldn't bear the guilt staining his face, oh god, he was crumbling. Realizing what _they _were for, bile burned the back of his throat, before he stumbled anywhere from that glittering hell. Passed around like party favors, he tried, Zero tried so hard to block out the sounds of fangs cutting through the skin, and blood rushing from one wanting body to another.

Was _this _what he was to Kuran? A fucking slave to grovel and beg at his feet? Zero suddenly found himself burning and shaking in fever, sickness was capturing his heart, and rage clouding his eyes. Crumpling in a ball, away from peering eyes, the ex-human felt like screaming.

Kaname found him more than broken. He was pissed, oh god, if anyone tried to come between them in any way whatsoever... Trying to appear gentle despite his shaking form, Kuran reached for him, whispering quietly, "Zero?"

"Is that a question of whether or not I'm still sane after… _that_?" Zero's voice was pitched darkly, hushed, far too quiet for comfort and Kaname, hesitantly so as not to shatter the frail frame before him, tried to pull him against his own body to steady the ex-human.

"Is that some kind of sick, twisted example of what I mean to you? So you can offer me in good confidence that I've been broken in?! You made a mistake in thinking that I can bend over and surrender myself to someone so cold; you mean _nothing_ to me."

_'So goodbye.' _Wearily rising, shaking off the pureblood's long, prying fingers, Zero staggered away from the only one who was trapped in the same cage as him, but no longer cared.

_"-surrender myself to someone so cold, surrender myself to someone so cold, surrender myself to someone so cold," _it replayed in Kaname's mind, haunting, painful for him to swallow. He was _NOT _cold, couldn't Kiryu see that in his eyes when he was burning, just like now, for his fingertips, even a whispered word, said in…love…for him. Gathering a shaky breath, the world suddenly twisting and turning red, Kaname identified jealousy as his enemy at that moment. Why could Kiryu leave him and not crumble into pieces as he would if he even considered the thought of it? Did he deserve this unnecessary burden as a pureblood with already enough struggles to keep face?

What right did this pitiful ex-human have to tear it all down and rip out his heart so he could see what it looked like?! Wrath coursed through his boiling blood and before Kaname could clutch at his sanity from the monster within him, it shattered. Capturing the ex-human's pale strands in his powerful fingers, Kaname roughly dragged him to the first available escape away from the dazzling lies of his own world into the hard truth of reality.

Flickering candles highlighted their faces and Zero felt unwelcome terror rising as he glimpsed the dark black glowing in the older vampire's irises. Kaname's face lacked its normal elegant features, morphing him into the most terrorizing angel Zero had ever seen. Growling through parted lips, the pureblood's fangs lengthened, flashing multiple rows of sharp, glittering white.

"You want to see cold?," rumbling deep, darkly from his chest, Kaname carelessly tossed the boy's frail body, cracking his head into the rose-covered marble beneath him. Stalking forward, the pureblood's blood sang with pleasure, falling to his knees before the beautiful, god-like innocence reflected in the shaking body of Zero Kiryu. Breathing in his fear, Kaname buried his face in the crook of the boy's shoulder, licking the desired skin of the tattoo, hissing as it burned but spurred him forward.

"I long for your body to be next to mine with my every waking thought. I want to take from you and you from me. I crave your blood. I desire your acceptance over the most powerful. I want you to surrender your heart to me. I am jealous of how little you are affected by this! I'm not supposed to have any weaknesses, don't you understand? I am bound to this, this…you, I am bound to _you _Zero! Do you _want _me to rip out my heart to prove it to you? Feel it…" Clutching the ex-human's hand before he could rip it away, Kaname pressed it to his wildly beating pulse, struggling to breathe and gain control. God, he was slipping…

Shaken, touched by Kaname's confession and trembling with anxiety from the lit darkness that swirled around them, Zero parted his lips to find some type of comfort for the now shuddering man in his arms.

"Kaname… thank you." It was all he could say, unwilling to reveal himself, clutching harder at the strong frame above him with loving palms. Letting go of everything, the pureblood buried his face firmly against his gray strands to obscure his quiet sobs. He pulled back from the heat of Zero's embrace, gazing into the darkening purple eyes below him, wanting him to feel how only he could affect him. Sliding over the slight frame with anticipation, Kaname settled between his legs and gripped the ex-human's firm hips in his fingers and pressed into him. Gasping at the desirable reaction of Zero arching his spine to meet him, he groaned before meshing his lips to the ex-human's. Tracing the delicate points of his fangs, Kaname delighted in the reciprocation that followed. He had given far too much for the ex-human to ruin him with but it was the farthest thing from his conscience, especially when Zero clashed tongues with his, a short-lived battle of dominance.

"I haven't forgotten your earlier display, and I fully intend to make you suffer for it."

"You're sadistic," Zero groaned.

"I don't hear any complaints," a smirk was so far ingrained into the pureblood's tone that Zero retaliated, jumping at the obvious bait.

"Well, _I _didn't hear any either."

"I'm just reciprocating." Zero groaned at how erotically _innocent _that sounded coming from the devious, wicked sins that were Kaname's lips. They were on the move, tracing down his collarbone, nipping once at the previously bitten skin in a teasing motion before kissing the visible, enticing flesh above the neck of Zero's open shirt. Dipping to reveal parts of his heaving chest, Kaname layered hot, wet touches along the rippling muscle, appreciative.

"I did _not _enjoy your smug chuckling earlier." Getting revenge, Kaname traced his fingertips along the outside of Zero's slacks, cupping his groin heatedly as a warning for what he was about to say.

Swallowing thickly, Zero gasped, "I see, b-but it was only because I was p-proud-ah!" Accepting that well enough as a confession, Kaname swiftly, impatiently unbuttoned and slid down the coverings over his legs, tossing it carelessly wherever. Ghosting light touches over Zero's aching arousal, the pureblood instead moved further north, returning to the ex-human's chest. Groaning at the loss, Zero attempted to reach in between their bodies and finish what the older vampire started but was thwarted by mere inches as Kaname skillfully pinned both of his wrists with one of his large palms, leaving the other free to roam over the sculpted planes of the quivering body beneath him. Pushing aside the white barrier of Zero's now torn and slightly bloodied shirt, he caressed over his nipples, taunting him slightly before lingering touches over his ribs. Instinctively, Kaname dragged his fingernails down the younger boy's sides, knowing it would give pleasure, not pain. Crying out, Zero whispered raggedly,

"Please Kaname."

"I like it when you beg," Kaname moaned into the ex-human's stomach, licking paths of wet along the previous jagged marks along his sides, soothing the burning. Zero growled, frustrated as the pureblood wandered down to his hip bones, scraping along their edges before sinking his fangs into the fragile skin. Struggling, unable to drag his fingers through his brunet strands, Zero whimpered, brushing up against him. He wanted to touch the smooth skin that ran over his own so badly that his nerves were running hot, choking the breath from him in short, sobbing gasps.

Obliging slightly, Kaname released his wrists, still gripping his hips possessively as he swallowed long gulps of heated blood, careful to capture every drop. _'Your blood is only for me, no one else can have you Zero.' _The ex-human tore off Kaname's silk shirt, clinging to the rippling skin of his back.

Distractedly, the younger vampire ran greedy fingers through his silky, brunet strands, pulling him up for a stirring parting of their lips, caressing and overlapping in intimate, hesitant patterns. _'I want to taste more of him than I have of anyone else, and I can't stop clinging to his sensuous body, yearning for every hushed cry from his lips.' _Zero followed that rush of desire by pushing his naked body along the rose petals until he rested near the curve of Kaname's ribs. Breathing hot gasps of air over certain spots, he moved over to where the pureblood's skin met the length of his arm. Clutching onto the strong muscle of his bicep, Zero licked along the underside of Kaname's arm, deciding he rather liked the salty tang of sweat that layered his irrationally beautiful body. Sighing in the heights of passion, Kaname pulled the pliant frame demanding against his own, forcing the control to switch hands. Realizing that they had been missing from the soiree for quite a long time, the pureblood groaned mentally, wishing he could prolong it but instead went directly for his revenge. Grasping Zero's arousal sharply, easing touches along the awakened flesh, Kaname delighted at the hiss pouring from the hunter's lungs as he copied what the boy had so daringly done to him earlier.

Shuddering, aching, fevered, Zero thrust his hips to encourage his lover. He whispered Kaname's name as if it was a prayer, restless with need, so close.

"What have you done to me Kuran?" Burning, following the curve of Kaname's face with gentle fingertips, he tilted the proud, arrogant face into the light. He saw something hidden there, in that clouded soul, that tightened his chest. Shivering as the pureblood shifted to whisper in his ear, his dark, loving tones caused Zero's heart to flutter underneath him.

"Nothing you didn't want. Now scream my name so everyone knows you belong to me and only me." God, it was hard to hate Kaname's arrogance… Giving in with a long cry, head thrown back, pale strands shifting, covered in sweat, Zero jerked his hips upward, driven towards earth-shattering ecstasy. So, _so _achingly close, his dark eyes simmered with desire, reflected through the crimson eyes glittering down at him. He couldn't breathe between delirious moans of want as Kaname traced the fading marks near his neck and sunk his fangs in deeply. Oh god, his tongue was teasing carefully, sending him higher and higher, his back arched, curling into the pureblood with each breath. Suddenly his muscles tightened, body stiffening as spots scattered in his vision, and he screamed Kaname's name multiple times, his body arching and shuddering violently.

Shaking and surrounded by crimson rose petals, Kaname couldn't stop his fingers from tracing Zero's sweat-covered skin, humming thankfully that he had been graced with such a beautiful lover.

"Thank you Zero." Kaname sounded like he truly meant it, but Zero was having enough trouble breathing to be able to say anything back. Pride kissing his lips, the pureblood rested his cheek on his abdomen, listening to his uneven breathing. The candlelight lit their faces making them glow, wrapped up in each other.

"You must have something for roses."

Chuckling, Kaname agreed, "Yes, I suppose I do." Their serenity was momentary as something deadly sizzled through their bond; fear erupted in them both as the faint perfume of gunpowder echoed in their nerves. An explosion rocked the mansion, directly below them.

Smoke blinded Zero from catching Kaname's condition, luckily he had received only a few minor scrapes, shielded by the pureblood's body at the last minute.

"Kaname! Say something if you can hear me!" Coughing as the dust settled, Zero froze, his heart fluttering perilously, mouth suddenly dry before he screamed,

"KANAME!" That once proud, beautiful body was… impaled, stomach twisting sickly, he fell to his knees near the corpse, was he still breathing?, he prayed with everything he had, but Zero had never seen so much red, dark, cooling blood. And it was gushing in small rivers as fire erupted around their hell and flickered in the scarlet reflection, laughing at their misfortune.


	6. The Lonely King and His Bloodied Knight

Disclaimer: _I do not own the lovely Vampire Knight, Matsuri Hino does. I'm just borrowing them._

Summary: _She dug the edge deeper into the pureblood's fragile skin, a thin strip of crimson slithered along the collar of Zero's bloodied shirt, soaking into the material like an ink stain._

A/N: _Finally, I bring you Chapter Six. I tried to make it tug at your heart strings, so enjoy. And review. Not necessarily in that order._

* * *

Chapter VI: The Lonely King and His Bloodied Knight

* * *

Oh god, fate was cruel. The intoxicating smell of blood swirled around them, but Zero felt like throwing up, heaving the dark, sickly sin that throbbed in his veins into plain view for all the world to see. Frozen, still naked, he searched for a pulse. Fluttering weakly but it was still something, Kaname was _breathing._

Palms shaking, the fire was blazing, growing in volume, Zero gently, carefully so as not to shatter him, shifted his pained body to glimpse the… damage. His skin was peeling, singed and bubbling, crimson pouring over every plane of Kaname's flesh. Breath catching, fighting back the urge to curl that frail body against his own, Zero grimaced at the horrific, nightmarish, twisted pieces of metal now residing _within _the pureblood's frame; some of them were clearing through his back.

Zero knew only one thing: they had to get away. Every vampire for at least a hundred miles would be attracted to Kaname's blood, and the evidence was _very_, very incriminating against him.

For one thing, they were both still bare, most of their clothes currently burning; Kaname was… broken, to say the least, and Zero had the Bloody Rose _loaded _with the safety _off_, what exactly would the important vampire community have to say to that? _'Nothing good.' _Zero shuddered at the thought of how many different ways they could find to rip his body apart for this apparent offense, but he shrugged it off, focusing on the wounded pureblood.

Worry struck him viciously, twisting his insides into a bubbling, sickened mass when he realized, as far as he knew from his knowledge as a hunter, that a vampire could theoretically survive bullet wounds… or being impaled but only if the muscle and tissues were free of the foreign material. This meant…

Zero would have to free Kaname's body of _every _piece of metal embedded into it before any regeneration wouldn't have possible side effects, such as internal bleeding or numerous other symptoms that would wrack the pureblood's flesh. This was the easiest solution the ex-human could find to protect Kaname's delicate, inner organs from long-term damage; the metal being enclosed on the inside had the possibility of shifting during movement and tearing open the unprotected skin. _'So in other words_, Zero surmised, _'I have no choice.'_

Gritting his fangs, gathering his conviction, Zero cradled the older vampire's body in a strong grip, avoiding pressure near the puncture wounds, wrapping the fingers of his other free hand around one of the jagged spikes and inhaled. Exhaling shakily, he blanched at the wet, gruesome slide of the metal from the pale flesh before weakly letting it clatter against the rubble around them. Ashen-faced, he continued to pull the remaining pieces out until the tenth one caught in something vital, Zero could tell, because as it ripped free Kaname jolted to the surface of awareness. Screaming hoarsely, gasping with sobs, the pureblood shook with burning waves of red hot pain, hotter even than the flames flickering around them. Zero's face twisted in anguish, whispering hushed words of supposed comfort, but he knew if hell appeared _this _would be what it looked like. No amount of sugar-coated words could change that; it couldn't erase the seemingly long rivers of blood that wouldn't stop flowing or the gaping dozens of holes in the pureblood's body. It couldn't blow out the raging fire around them or fix the surrounding rubble. Only Zero could change their fate. Live or die. In the end, that's the single law of the world Zero had ever learned.

Leaning Kaname against the rubble, wincing as he hissed in agony, Zero scrambled to find the remains of his clothes. Locating his pants first, he ripped them into wide strips and bandaged the pureblood's shredded skin tightly. Trying desperately to ignore his pained whimpers, Zero covered him with the length of his white button-up, a far cry from modesty but better than nothing. Shouldering the weight of the older vampire, planting his feet firmly in slippery puddles of blood, eyes stinging from the ashes settling, Zero trudged forward, scanning for an escape route that was hopefully immediate.

Nothing. The rubble stretched on, various scraps of furniture blocking their path, large pieces of the walls bowing out dangerously, and the only exit was blockaded somehow… Zero traced along the borders of the standing walls, determining that the room they were in had been nearly doubled in size, connecting into the hall beside it by way of collapsed walls. Striding through the first gap he could find, Zero paused to scent the air. He could only pick out distinct flavors, fire, blood, and their own signatures. Sighing, actually wishing he had the pureblood's sense of direction, Zero adjusted the body limp in the cradle of his arms and stepped left.

Darkness crowded around them, and the only sound was the faint brush of Zero's feet against what felt like carpet, and the gasping breaths wrenching from Kaname's lungs. Squinting, praying for an exit, the ex-human stilled, sniffing cautiously. He smelt… metal and gunpowder. It wasn't from his bullets. An enemy.

That's when the first bullet tore through his shoulder.

Choking, pain searing along the nerves of his right arm, Zero regretfully cushioned Kaname against the floor, making sure he was as comfortable as he could be before turning to their threat, intending to murder him or her to protect his lover from harm. Or more damage, either way Zero wasn't sure he could guard him for very long at this rate. Blood ran down his arm, even as he desperately tried to stop the flow. Grateful he had managed to find the Bloody Rose among the ruins and carry it with him; he loaded the chamber, crouching in defense as the metal slid loudly.

His enemy was slinking a few feet away, male from the heavier shock of his steps, a vampire hunter from the feel of the bullet still residing in Zero's shoulder. He could handle this. Stilling his heavy panting, Zero felt the air shift and change around him. He recognized the feel of shockwaves preceding the deadly bullets coming his way. Dodging by a hair's breadth, Zero chuckled hopelessly. _'I guess I'll have to even the odds with him darting in the shadows like that.' _The chain from the Bloody Rose pinched and stung his skin with cold, and he shivered but realized he had the advantage with it. Feeling proud of his battle strategy, the ex-human taunted the man.

"What's the matter, Mr. Hunter? Too afraid of the _superior _species?" Zero knew he was stretching the truth a little, but Kaname would never find out that he had actually _complimented_ him in an offhand sort of way. It would be like the icing on the cake for Kuran, to find him stealing out of the cookie jar and then openly denying that he didn't like the cookies while crumbs still littered his lips. Shaking his head ruefully, Zero thought he must be losing too much blood to be thinking of childish cookies.

Luckily, his opponent rushed to the challenge, and Zero didn't disappoint; he thought Kaname would be proud of him for this before realizing that he wasn't supposed to _care _if the pureblood did or not. Wrapping the chain from the Bloody Rose swiftly around the man's neck, he growled in suppressed rage, pulling the metal tighter and tighter, choking his impatient enemy. Zero angled the barrel of the Bloody Rose against the man's abdomen before emptying the entire magazine, all fifteen bullets into him. He was _pissed _and seeing the contorted face of the hunter did nothing to appease Zero. Turning to collect the damaged pureblood in his arms, so they could be on their merry way, the ex-human froze, eyes screaming red, hissing in warning.

A blade cut a thin, mean line along Kaname's neck, and Zero followed it upward to the woman's face attached at the other end. Female eyes glittered dangerously at him from beneath light blonde bangs, pressuring him to stay silent and very, very still. She dug the edge deeper into the pureblood's fragile skin, a thin strip of crimson slithered along the collar of Zero's bloodied shirt, soaking into the material like an ink stain.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM!," Zero roared, baring his extended fangs.

She simply smirked at him and responded, "Why should it matter to you, ex-human? The King here will know what to do with himself after he receives this." Dipping her finger in Kaname's dwindling blood, she traced an inscription along his neck, burning symbols into the skin. Suddenly they lit along the pureblood's visible flesh, drawing an elaborate path of agony. He jerked in the throes of it, throat working soundlessly around a scream. Zero's mind went blank, and the vampire smothered everything he had forced to keep buried.

Kaname was the only being he gravitated towards in this world and if he left him, Zero wouldn't cease to move in the same hopeless pattern, a pawn in the larger scheme of things. He _needed _the pureblood like an addiction, and all the blots and mistakes on his existence didn't mean anything when they were together. That was exactly the reason for this insanity to make sense. With clarity, Zero finally realized that he was willing to die for Kaname. Every breath was already indebted to him, so wasn't his soul just a little bit larger to give up? Maybe death was already kissing his lips and clinging to him, making him decide in distorted patterns that his stubborn personality wouldn't usually admit to, but if he was going to die, to _end_, then he should make his peace with everything. Bleeding slowly now, Zero sucked in a hot, shaking, heaving breath, tensing his tired muscles.

_'See you in hell Kuran.' _Not that he believed Kaname was worthy of hell, or that any devil, evil or otherwise, could live with tormenting the older vampire. And besides, maybe they didn't even have souls to corrupt? If not, what the hell was wrong with them regardless?

Lunging forward without pause, forgetting any hesitation and giving in to the dark boiling in his blood, Zero's eyes flashed a deeper crimson. Charging her head on, his head whip-lashed in shock, glaring at the tensing blood whips caught around his neck, flowing from the female's fingertips. He wasn't aware of the ability to do _that_, he thought the only extension of the blood could be like Senri Shiki's, not a physical manifestation. Zero would have to ask him about that later.

Struggling, thrashing his head in protest, Zero feared the black that edged his vision, trying to ignore the forceful pulls for air his lungs were orchestrating unsuccessfully. Choking, wrapping his long fingers around the red chords, tearing, pulling at them in vain, he was losing consciousness rapidly.

Kaname rose unsteadily, breathing in unnatural shudders, feeling like he was crawling in vicious fire ants that dug into his skin. Sweat blurred his eyes, fever raged in his veins but none of it mattered. Zero's blood littered the air, a blaring siren call but as much as he struggled, and he did, _desperately_, his body refused to obey. The fusing holes along his stomach stopped any possible intervention.

"Z-Zero," he rasped, forcing his lungs to expand with breath. Kaname felt utterly wretched, hopelessness welling up in his heart. For all the strings he commanded, all the power he wielded, he couldn't even _move. __'Zero, I c-can't…'_ Convulsing, the burning spread, bringing him to his knees.

But he shouldn't have worried. Just hearing Kaname's heavenly, breathtaking whisper breathed life into Zero. Roaring in blinding, consuming rage, adrenaline coursing through his veins, oxygen rushed to relieve his aching lungs. Ripping the blood red chords from his neck, hissing as they dug into his palms, Zero pulled his enemy closer and gripped her throat with unrelenting fingers. Choking her, taking immense pleasure from the sight, he decided to be lenient and tossed her through the remains of a crumbling wall. His enemy was silent and unmoving.

Eyeing her for the scarcest second possible, Zero forgot all pretenses of not needing the pureblood and ran to his side, cradling his weakened body protectively. Throwing away his pride, he didn't give a damn about it, not when Kaname's red irises glittered beautifully at him and especially not when that slight, godly smile caressed the pureblood's perfect lips. His countenance tightened in agony, drawing Zero back to their immense problem. Kaname was still bleeding all over, the strange markings were glowing brighter, and they were both trapped, possibly underground with no apparent escape routes.

Tracing the Hunter symbols wrapping over the pureblood's skin, Zero translated them: _'Blood to blood, bone to bone, the King will always walk alone.' _He faintly remembered the woman referring to Kaname as the king, but what did the rest of it mean? Could it be a warning to him personally for becoming attached?

"The King will always walk alone," the ex-human whispered, his tongue curling uncomfortably around the words. It unsettled him to try to wrap his mind around the possible hidden meanings of the repeating symbols, so he sighed and lifted his precious cargo once more into his arms. Sniffing the air, searching desperately for any sign of fresh oxygen, the silver-haired male grew weary with disappointment. Nothing, no confusing mazes leading to an escape, no enemies to beat the answers out of, just an endless passageway. Until, suddenly, Zero crashed into a wall, stumbling backwards, and almost let go of Kaname in his surprise. His heightened eyesight had overlooked anything hidden in the constant shadows surrounding them. Feeling the roughness with his palms, Zero tried to topple the barrier by force, but no amount of shoving could move it. _'Even an inch would be better than feeling less like a vampire than I already do. If Kaname was awake, he could destroy this in seconds, but no, he gets stuck with me, a pitiful ex-_human_,_'Zero thought bitterly. Sucking in a heavy breath, pressing his palm to the cold barrier, concentrating on mapping the texture and solidarity of it, Zero focused the roiling anger inside himself. Draining the energy along his nerves, burning into his fingers, the ex-human contained it, shaped it and after a heavy moment, released it with a rush of gritting pain spiraling into the rock before him. The force crumbled the wall into a dune of sand at his feet.

Shaking, gasping for breath, Zero simply blinked at the destruction, pulled the sleeping Kaname into his arms and moved forward. He forced himself not to think of the inner power he had just unleashed; the only thing he cared about was getting his pureblood to a soft bed and bandages. Squinting with hope, not daring to believe the sunlight glaring through the cracks ahead of them, the silver-haired vampire quickened his pace to an aching trot. Cautiously peering through the opening, he stepped through, shading his eyes from the blinding light.

Hope bloomed in Zero's chest, weightless before he could stop it. Kaname wasn't dead, still bleeding severely, and he could hardly stand from blood loss, but their survival rate had significantly improved. Just as he looked down at the glorious, closed eyelashes of his lover, everything changed. Stilling as a warning thrilled through his veins, Zero clutched Kaname closer, bracing him. Enemies were coming. Pulse throbbing in his ears, the ex-human snarled low, threatening those who would dare to hurt the pureblood, _his _pureblood. Trying to save Kaname's life must've ingrained possessiveness into the ex-human's heart because he loaded the Bloody Rose without hesitation, towering protectively over the one he would die for.

Laughter fluttered menacingly through the air as a fierce wind tore through the trees, and Zero's silver strands brushed the sides of his face, stinging his eyes. Hunters surrounded him in a tight, defensive pattern, wide smiles twisting their faces. A variety of weapons glinted in the dim sunlight, and the ex-human's breathing increased tempo, surging more adrenaline into his bloodstream.

"Well, well, the King and his whore. Quite an image you make, bloodied and stripped down to nothing, no wonder he took a fancy to you."

"I'm not his fucking whore!"

"And that mark on your neck means nothing?" Zero hissed, grasping at the burning puncture wounds giving him away. A tall male, presumably the leader, smirked and moved to a stop before the ex-human. With a pompous sneer stretching his face, the man pulled out his orders and read, "Zero Kiryu, under order of the Vampire Hunters Society, we have come to execute you for the murder of the pureblood Kaname Kuran."

"Murder?" _'Oh fuck, they're setting me up. I abandon Kaname to save my own skin, they kill him with _my _bullets, and claim to be the innocent third party while I'm assassinated.' _"Unless you're blind, he's still breathing," Zero stated harshly, anger flashing in his eyes. They all smiled at him as if he was five years old and had no comprehension of the situation.

"Easily remedied," the male responded, charging towards the pureblood, blade in hand, only to sink it into the flesh of Zero's thigh. Kaname chose to moan in that second, drawing everyone's attention. He was pulling up from the darkness, throbbing in hellish agony, red irises hazy and unfocused. Even through the blurs, Kaname growled in warning, blood boiling at the nightmarish image of his lover bare and bleeding. Crouching, beautiful muscles coiling, the pureblood's brunet strands slithered as if alive, and he was a breathtaking, destroying angel.

Blood coated Zero's feet as he turned away from the beheaded corpses, pulling Kaname into his arms, fearless at the older male's flashing, crimson eyes. His lover's skin was feverish, the red symbols glowing even brighter if possible. "Kaname, do you have a safe house?," the ex-human questioned softly.

"Yes and the address is…" Zero leaned closer, shuddering as Kaname's lips brushed the shell of his ear.

"Wrap your arms around my neck," the silver-haired vampire coaxed, securing his fingers underneath Kuran's thighs, near the knee. Inhaling heavily, readjusting his precious cargo, Zero attempted a sprint, wincing at the raw ache in his bleeding thigh. He prayed the directions weren't just the ramblings of a feverish pureblood.

Rain poured down from the hateful heavens above, and Zero fell, scraping his face against the cold cement. "Damn it!," he wiped the stinging blood from his cheek, glancing over his shoulder with worried eyes, sighing in relief at Kaname's dripping, closed eyelashes. Shaking, knees barely supporting them both, Zero felt immense, staggering hope as he recognized the colossal mansion towering in front of him to be Kaname's. Of course, he couldn't just traipse in; Zero had to resort to breaking a low window and climbing inside. Glad to be out of the rain, the ex-human ran up the staircase, searching for Kaname's room. Finding it empty, Zero slid Kaname off his back, onto the silk sheets before glancing around for a phone. A black, slim cell phone sat innocently on a large, aged desk and he grabbed it, flipping the cover open. Scanning through the numbers, picking the one who would ask the least questions, Zero pressed the call button with dread.

* * *

Seiren blinked at the sound of her ring tone before answering briskly. "Yes?"

"Seiren? It's Kiryu. I need your-"

"Your position?" Aido looked up at her with suspicion, leaning closer to eavesdrop. She leaned away, nodding in response to Zero's reply.

"I'll be there in twenty. Stay there."

* * *

Zero jolted awake, unaware that he had fallen asleep. Seiren was waiting outside; he could smell her distinct signature. Pulling one of Kaname's black, leather trench coats over his shoulders, covering the bandaged pureblood in silk sheets, Zero lifted him into the cradle of his arms. He wanted to conceal his lover's tempting skin from any onlookers, but the ex-human worried the material would irritate his open wounds.

Seiren opened the passenger door, stepping aside as Zero slid onto the leather seats, shivering and settled Kaname onto his lap. Aido turned to glare at him before blanching at his state of undress. Gripping the wheel with tense knuckles, Seiren slammed on the gas causing the car to swerve a one-eighty before straightening out their path.

"So, you-"

"Yes, Aido," Zero's irritation was obvious in the arch of his eyebrows.

"Your-"

"_Yes._"

"YOU HAVE A BLOOD BOND WITH KANAME-SAMA!!!!" Aido's blue eyes were wide, anger coating his cheeks.

"This isn't the fucking time to complain about our… _liaison_," Zero snarled heatedly. Aido reached over to brush his fingertips along Kaname's cheek in worry, surprise flitting across his expression as Zero clenched his fangs together audibly. Pressing a fervent, open-mouthed brush of his lips along Kaname's collarbone, the ex-human's eyes glared at Hanabusa, claiming Kuran as his own. The blond hissed in reply, coating ice rapidly over the leather, sending it sprawling over his enemy's thigh.

"Your jealousy is unbecoming, Aido." Seiren glanced at him with hostile eyes. Bowing his head in shame, he released the ex-human from his icy grasp.

"Seiren, why the fuck did you have to bring _him_?!," Zero complained, covering his countenance with his palm.

"He insisted on coming," Seiren answered smoothly.

"Well, his face is as red as a pompous tomato," the ex-human smirked.

"I know," Seiren let her lips lift in a cautious smile.


End file.
